What Does a Person on State Assistance Look Like?

There was a recent blog post spreading around Facebook about Food Stamps and that is what encouraged me to write this blog post. The post was about how judged a woman felt about using food stamps, because the man behind her uttered something negative about her using food stamps to pay for her groceries. It really is so sad that there are many entitled, judgmental people in this world that they think they can judge someone on a simple first glance of that person. I don’t think any of us owe an explanation to anyone about our life nor our finances. All too often people feel entitled to know what you make, how much you work, what type of lifestyle you lead, what foods you choose to eat or feed your kids. We are in this world where we constantly feel judged and get reprimanded for not living in a way that others choose to or are able to live.

No two people have the same past, so therefore no two people will have the same present. Stop placing judgement and saying cruel things to other human beings. Just stop!

I ask you all this, just exactly what does someone on state assistance, such as food stamps, look like? They look like you and me, they look like the person on the side of the road homeless, they look like your child and my child. They look like HUMAN BEINGS. There is no definition for a person who receives assistance; there was a time in my life when I found myself as a single mom with a baby and guess what? I had to use food stamps. I have had to use state assistance for it’s purpose in the past and guess what? I look just like you or you or YOU.

“Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

I am so sick of some bad apples who abuse a system making us all pre-judge someone without any history or knowledge of who they are as a person. Sure, the person you saw just used food stamps to buy food but they are driving, what you call, a nice car. Sure, someone just used aide to pay for their child’s healthcare, well do you use the Government Healthcare System? Then I guess you are on aide as well. Just stop with the “I am better than you mentality” people. WE are all human freaking beings and WE ALL deserve respect. There is no need to frown upon another human being for needing help.

Because a man or woman treated you badly in a relationship, do you shun and mutter cruel words about that gender each time you come into passing of that gender? I hope not. You cannot make everyone pay for a bad experience, ever. There are bad people, but there are a hell of a lot of good people too, just open your eyes and heart!

At some point in time in our life, everyone will need a hand up. A shoulder to cry on. A person to boost them. A bit of financial aid to get back on their feet. God forbid you, man who judged that woman on food stamps, ever need a helping hand. I pray to God you never do need to put aside your pride and get help, because it’s not easy for the majority of our world to get assistance due to people like you. Our pride gets in the way of our own self, because of people like you. We don’t want you looking down upon us, we don’t want you to treat us differently because God forbid we needed to use a form of state aide to get back on our feet.

Shame on you who thinks it’s okay to shun someone for the type of assistance they need. I know a lot of people who get state aide, and quite frankly it’s none of my business if they get that aide. I will be honest with you, 99.9% of the people I know who are on aide actually worked most of their lives and paid into that system, so why can’t they use some of those funds as a means to get back on their feet?

Next time you want to utter a cruel and mean word under your breath, remember people who use assistance are just like you and me, they are your children, your grandchildren, your elders, they are people and these people have feelings!

This article has 1 comment

This is a good post. I remember being embarrassed to get free lunch as a kid. I would skip lunch entirely so I wouldn’t be singled out as the ‘poor kid.’ I can’t remember now what the difference was…something that made free lunchers stand out, but there was something…a ticket to be punched maybe? I don’t remember now. It was a huge deal then.